Mitchell's 5th Birthday

Mitchell's 4th Birthday

Mitchell's 3rd Birthday

Feb 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Dec 16, 2010

SO incredibly grateful!!!

Mitchell did great yesterday and after a MRI haste this morning, things were clear and he got his shunt taken out!!! We are back to where we were before and it feels so good. The best part is Mitchell feels great and looks amazing. They say it's too soon for the radiation to work, but I swear he looks better. Trying not to get hopes up, but so excited. As I said before we feel so confident that he is going to get better.

On a terribly sad and strangely coincidental note, a family from our ward arrived yesterday with their daughter (Ashley Merrell) and she has neuroblastoma. There are only 650 diagnosed a year for her condition, and the boy who gets radiation after us lives off Speyers (a street in Selah), which is only one street away from this little girl and has neuroblastoma. My mind is thinking something has to be up with these coincidences. Plus Mitchell's cancer is more rare (about 300/yr) and he is in the same community of 7,000 as both these kiddos. Mind blowing! Anyhow, please keep them on your prayers too. We are excited to have someone to serve.

1 comment:

Still praying for your son and those other kids. I know it seems like a weird coincidence, but I told my mom what was going on with your family and the two others. She said the CDC (Center for Disease Control) might be interested in that, just in case there's anything going on in that area. You never know I guess. Anyways, we're all pulling for you and hope Mitchell keeps his spirits up having to be in there over the holidays. I'll keep checking in on y'all and hope for the best.

Mitchell's Story

Mitchell showed his first symptom April 12, 2010. He was putting his shoes on and looked up at me and I noticed his eyes track in opposite directions. Obviously that sent chills up my spine and I immediately began calling doctors and no one would see him or seemed to think it was a big deal. After it continued a few days and I insisted they see my child, we took him in and our pediatrician agreed something wasn't right. Several doctors later and multiple random diagnoses, we took him to Seattle Children's on April 16th where he was administered an MRI. That scan showed a small tumor that the drs thought was on the brainstem and when I continued to ask the hows/whys they told me not to worry.

I worried all summer long and into the fall until on November 10, 2010 he woke up gagging. I thought he must have the stomach flu and coddled him all day. Around lunchtime it was obvious something serious was wrong because his muscles were shaking and he couldn't walk. We had just had a check-up on November 8 and although we voiced concerns about his eyes drooping, the doctor came up with some strange reason. When we called him about the muscle weakness we were told to go immediately to Seattle Children's. That hour of preparation was one of the worst of our lives. We prayed and cried then left not knowing what awaited us in Seattle. An MRI revealed the tumor had tripled in size. Mitchell's muscle weakness worsened by the minute. In the next couple of days he wouldn't be able to walk at all or lift his left arm. Friday, November 12 he went in for a biopsy to hopefully know what kind of a tumor we were dealing with. Although inconclusive, enough was gathered to diagnose him with a high-grade brainstem glioma.

We began radiation December 6th and finished January 26th during which time he took small doses of temodar--a chemotherapy drug. From February 28th, 2011 until January 23, 2012 he was on a maintenance plan of temodar, irinotecan, and bevacuzimab.

Mitchell's symptoms returned a few months after we finished chemotherapy. They began with severe impulsive behavioral issues that no one could identify a cause for and Mitchell clearly felt bad about. We had some mixed MRI results in May and June, but by then it was clear the tumor was growing. Mitchell declined over the summer but fought hard for his time. He passed away peacefully Sept. 2, 2012 in his daddy's arms. We miss you Mitchell and love you...Always and forever...No matter what!